Chapter 214: Genius Talent
*WHOOSH* *WHOOSH* *WHOOSH*
*BAM* *BAM* *BAM*
Two figures moved at such high speed that only vague silhouettes could be seen.
The sound of impacts echoed loudly, generating shockwaves that blew leaves from the surrounding plants and trees.
Many large animals, resembling prehistoric creatures on Earth, hid in their nests, afraid of accidentally getting caught in the battle's aftermath.
*BAM* *BAM* *BAM*
Eiji and Rayleigh exchanged blows at a terrifying speed.
"Not bad, Eiji, you have more combat experience than I expected."
While dodging an incoming punch, Rayleigh couldn't help but compliment.
"You're great too, Rayleigh. This is the first time someone can match me."
Eiji's tone was flat, but his eyes were bright, indicating his good mood.
In worlds like Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead, Hametsu no Oukoku, Nisekoi, and Zero no Tsukaima, he had never met an opponent equal to him.
Even in his original world, Gojo Satoru and Sukuna were the only ones he acknowledged; the rest weren't worth mentioning.
Currently, Eiji was sparring with Rayleigh. They had agreed to use only Busoshoku Haki, so he had deactivated Infinity and wasn't using the Limitless Technique.
*BAM*
"Alright, that's enough."
After landing a punch that knocked Eiji backward, Rayleigh ended the sparring session.
"I'm not satisfied yet."
Activating Reverse Cursed Technique to reduce the swelling on his cheek, Eiji seemed eager to continue.
"You're still energetic after all this, huh... Your stamina is no worse than Kaido's." Rayleigh, slightly out of breath, continued, "Unfortunately, I'm not young anymore, my stamina isn't what it used to be. Let's continue after a rest."
"Mm."
Hearing this, Eiji didn't insist. The blue substance enveloping his wrist disappeared quickly.
They both headed to a resting area a bit away from the sparring site. There was food and fruit delivered earlier by some members of the Kuja Tribe.
Sitting on a wooden log, Eiji picked up an apple and bit into it, while Rayleigh drank beer.
"AH~, a drink after work is delightful."
"If you keep drinking alcohol, your organs will get damaged. You're old, Rayleigh."
"Ha Ha Ha... You don't understand, Eiji, alcohol has been inseparable from my life. I've been drinking since I was a teenager; it's too late to stop now."
Ignoring Eiji's advice, Rayleigh just laughed.
"..."
Seeing his advice being ignored, Eiji stopped speaking. Then, he took off his sweat-soaked shirt.
"Wow, no matter how many times I see it, the scars on your body don't look like they were caused by humans."
It wasn't the first time Rayleigh saw Eiji's scarred body. The first time, he was very shocked and asked about the cause.
Eiji said he got the scars in life-and-death struggles but didn't elaborate.
"So, how's my Busoshoku Haki progressing?"
Not wanting to discuss the scars on his body, Eiji changed the topic.
"In one word, genius!"
After gulping down some alcohol, a slight redness appeared on Rayleigh's face, indicating he was starting to get drunk.
"In just three days, you've mastered hardening perfectly. You're the most talented person I've ever met, at least in Busoshoku Haki. Even Luffy needed a full month to master it."
"Sigh... The young ones in this era have extraordinary talents compared to those in the previous era. This might be the peak of the Great Pirate Era!"
"Gulp... Gulp... Gulp..."
"I see."
Eiji was used to being called a genius. Of course, besides his natural talent, the Six Eyes were a significant factor in mastering one of the basic techniques of Busoshoku Haki.
By mimicking Rayleigh's way of channeling Spiritual Energy when activating Busoshoku Haki, Eiji needed time to get used to it.
"Since you've mastered hardening, you can now learn the next basic technique."
Grabbing a thick thigh from an unknown animal, Rayleigh ate it hungrily.
Hearing this, Eiji showed a serious listening attitude.
"The next basic Busoshoku Haki technique is penetration. Busoshoku Haki users can also infuse their hardening into any object they touch, allowing them to give their weapons the same boost as they do to their bodies."
"Weapons infused with Haki gain a new level of offensive power, with one example being the Kuja warriors' arrows, capable of piercing solid rock. If projectile weapons are infused with Haki, they will remain hardened even after being launched away from the user's body."
"Defensively, infusing Haki into a weapon prevents it from being easily damaged and increases its lifespan."
Rayleigh then infused Busoshoku Haki into the sword in his hand. In an instant, the blade was enveloped in a metallic black substance.
"Stay like that."
Before retracting the Busoshoku Haki, Eiji's voice came from in front.
"Look as much as you want, there's no need to rush."
Rayleigh already felt that Eiji's eyes were unusual; he suspected they were special and had certain abilities.
He attributed Eiji's quick learning to those eyes.
'Eiji is already very strong relying on Limitless or whatever that is, and after mastering Haki, he will be even stronger. Luckily, he's not a bad person.' Rayleigh thought to himself.
Besides the lucrative incentive Eiji offered him, Rayleigh's willingness to teach him Haki was because he felt Eiji's personality wasn't bad. However, his Kenbunshoku Haki sensed a very evil aura from Eiji's body.
Good and evil are fundamentally subjective.
Are Marines good and pirates bad?
Not necessarily.
Of course, the average pirate is a bad person because they commit robbery, assault, and other crimes. However, there are also pirates like the Roger Pirates and the Straw Hat Pirates, who don't do bad things and are more like adventurers exploring the world.
Conversely, the Marines maintain security and stability at sea. However, this only applies to countries affiliated with the World Government. Marines don't care about crimes happening in non-affiliated countries. Moreover, not all Marine officers are good people; some abuse their positions to extort ordinary citizens.
Through his intuition, Rayleigh sensed that Eiji wasn't a bad person who would kill without reason, rob for fun, or commit other despicable acts.
"Mm, that's enough. Thank you, Rayleigh."
After a while, Eiji closed his eyes, recalling everything he had seen.
"If you maintain this pace of understanding, it won't take three months as you promised. It seems I can go home and meet Shakky ahead of schedule." Rayleigh said with a smile.
"..."
Eiji didn't argue, processing the information he had just acquired.
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